Take me to the Capital of Japan, Tokyo!

March 19, 2023

Take me to the Capital of Japan, Tokyo!

Written By: Ghazal Hosseinkhani, California State University, Long Beach

Tokyo is one of the world's fashion capitals, known for its innovative and diverse fashion scene. The city has a long history of fashion, with traditional Japanese garments like kimonos and yukatas being worn for centuries. However, over time, Tokyo has become a hub of modern and cutting-edge fashion, with designers and fashion brands from all over the world showcasing their latest creations in the city. One of the reasons for Tokyo's fashion success is its adoption of fashion trends from around the world, as well as its ability to adapt and create new styles that resonate with local consumers. Japanese fashion designers have been known for their ability to merge traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern and international styles, creating unique and innovative fashion designs. Social media has also played a significant role in Tokyo's fashion adoption, allowing for the rapid spread of new trends and styles. Many young people in Tokyo follow influencers and celebrities on social media, who often showcase the latest fashion trends and styles. This has created a dynamic and fast-moving fashion scene, with trends and styles constantly evolving and changing. With my research, I found a specific style in famous Japanese influencers which is mixing plaids.

@Heihei_official

Tokyo is known for its diverse and innovative fashion scene, with many different styles and subcultures

coexisting in the city. Here are a few of the fashion trends and styles that are popular in Tokyo:

Streetwear: Streetwear is a popular fashion trend in Tokyo, particularly among young people. It often features oversized clothing, hoodies, graphic t-shirts, and sneakers.

Harajuku fashion: Harajuku fashion is a style that originated in the Harajuku district of Tokyo, and is characterized by its colorful, eclectic, and often quirky aesthetic. It often involves layering and mixing patterns, as well as incorporating unique accessories and hairstyles.

I bring this up because we can observe the combination of plaid patterns in both of these Japanese fashion styles, beginning with popular influencers and then extending to the people of Tokyo.

Instagram: @watanabenaomi703

The number one influencer in Japan is Naomi. Naomi first rose to fame over ten years ago by impressively imitating Beyoncé on Japanese television. Her use of comedy to promote body positivity has resonated with a global audience, as evidenced by her appearances on the covers of Vogue Japan and Elle Singapore. With millions of followers on Instagram, Naomi is known for her authenticity and creativity, and she experienced high engagement on her page during the Japan lockdown. In addition to her brand, Punyus, Naomi collaborates with top fashion brands such as Thomas Browne, Moschino, Nailsby Mei, and Ami Paris.

She influences her followers with her styles and encourages them to go beyond. I found a lot of unique styles on her feed, and mixing plaids were repeated constantly.

Instagram: @mahirucoda

Mahiru Coda (aka Mappy) is a 21years old Jazz pianist and singer in Tokyo.

Mappy possesses impressive skills and versatility in jazz performance, along with a commanding stage presence. Apart from her passion for jazz, Mappy has a keen interest in fashion and boasts over 140,000 Instagram followers under the username "Mahirucoda" She is recognized as a fashion icon and was even invited to participate in the Tokyo collection. Through her Instagram account, which she has maintained since her elementary school days, she has gained a significant following by showcasing her everyday outfits and things that inspire her, showcasing her unique sense of style and aesthetics. As a result, she has become a popular figure in the fashion world and is frequently invited to sit in the front row of many fashion shows in Japan. Moreover, she has even secured her own irregular column in the well-known Japanese fashion magazine, "GINZA (since 1997)," where she has interviewed various international fashion directors, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Rem D Koolhaas, Nick Wooster, and others.

Mappy's sharp sense of fashion has also garnered the attention of the overseas fashion industry, having collaborated with Teen Vogue and MiLK Magazine in China. She had a full 16-page feature in which she both modeled and art-directed. In 2015, she was selected as the Japan ambassador for GapKids×ED, a collaboration project between Ellen Degeneres and GAP.

Since she is young, her style followed popular Japanese styles, Harajuku and street style. we can see different styles of the current trend, mixing plaids, in her outfits. she influences a lot of Japanese girls and their sense of fashion.

Instagram: @Tokyofashion

@Tokyofashion is a popular Instagram page with over 847K followers. They post pictures of Japanese street fashion from different neighborhoods, and they "bring street style from Japan to the world". On this page, we can see so many different styles and outfits of Japanese girls and boys who are not famous, or influencers, but they can actually change the trend in Japan. These people are fashion lovers, and they want to keep up with the trends as well as keep their traditional or Japanese famous styles such as Hurujuku, which is a mix of local and foreign trends.

Here are two more pictures from @Tokyofashion that show more of the unique Japanese style with our focusing trend, Plaids.

Instagram: @tokyofashion - @heihei_official

Heihei is a Japanese Online shop for Harajuku style. Their recent collection is all about plaids and mixed Plaids.

In conclusion, Asian fashion trends are currently being influenced by the preppy style of 90s fashion (and possibly by lolita fashion) where mixing plaids in a single outfit is becoming popular.

Japanese street fashion designers are famous for their ability to mix and match prints, demonstrating that there is no limit to how prints can be combined.

When blending plaids in an outfit, it's essential to complement the colors and styles rather than competing with them. This can result in an impressive look.

------------------

Shop For Your Tokyo Look!

To Style this trend, it is important to think out of the box. these mixing plaids (plaid on plaid) do not follow a specific color, so you can match them with different colors and still look fashionable. This trend has been very popular among Japanese youths and they are doing a great job to style it. You can do plaids head to toe just like Naomi, or you can wear plaids only on one layer like Mahiru. In Japan, you can find plaids now on dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, jackets, and even shoes. So keep up and wear don't be afraid to wear plaids on your next visit to Tokyo, Japan. To achieve the best street style or visual key effect, it's recommended to pair the plaid-on-plaid outfit with platform shoes.